Wal-Mart to cut back electronics space in U.S. stores

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores said Tuesday it plans to reduce space for electronics in its U.S. stores, saying that sales in that category have declined. The company will reduce floor space devoted to items such as flat-screen televisions and give some of that space to apparel, according to Rosalind Brewer, who runs the Wal-Mart East division and addressed a retail conference in Atlanta on Tuesday. The reduction is a reversal of Wal-Mart’s 2009 move to allocate 21% more floor space to entertainment gadgets and comes after electronics contributed to a 1.8% decline in U.S. same-store sales.